‘what if’ Longton

Collaborative Re-imagining of Longton Town Centre

we’re here!

We work from an empty shop in Longton Exchange. We have office and storage space here and we run Art Club here two days a week. We have a Window Gallery to share local artist’s work.

We experience Longton’s difficulties and opportunities every day and want to work with our neighbours to co-create a vibrant, community-led programme of cultural events, installations, and activities to improve lives.

art club

Art Club are aged 8 - 14. They have been exploring their personal creativity and they are now beginning to explore the public realm of Longton through photography. We are inviting them to ask questions that begin ‘What If?’

empty shops, dereliction

From an audit on Market St, part of the Conservation Zone in Longton, 48% of shops were empty and boarded up and showing signs of dereliction.

We are interested in how public space can support better lives and a better future. Taking ideas from Restorative Cities and 15 Minute City, our ambition is to collectively re-imagine the future for Longton with our target communities.

high footfall

Longton has an estimated 126,000 users. Our audit (March 2022) witnessed 65% of on-foot users were sole males.

There is little dwelling time or purpose within the public space, so little opportunity to create wellbeing or community.